1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to ultrasound imaging apparatuses performing frame interpolation only on a surface region of a 3D ultrasound image by extracting the surface region and methods for controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultrasound diagnostic apparatuses non-invasively generate an image of a target region inside an object, such as a soft tissue tomogram or a blood stream tomogram, by irradiating ultrasonic signals generated by transducers of a probe toward the target region from the surface of the object, and receive reflected ultrasonic signals (ultrasonic echo signals), which are used for medical purposes, for example, to examine the inside of the object, detect impurities, and measure injury.
Since ultrasound diagnostic apparatuses are small and inexpensive, display an image in real time, and provide high safety without causing X-ray exposure, as compared to other diagnostic imaging apparatuses, such as X-ray diagnosis apparatuses, computed tomography (CT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatuses, and nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatuses, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus have been widely used with other diagnostic imaging apparatuses.
With the recent expansion of use of ultrasound systems, various requirements for ultrasound images provided by the ultrasound systems are continuously increasing. In particular, since precise examination of lesions and tissues of patients are required for medical treatments such as examination, biopsy, and surgery, ultrasound systems must be able to acquire multifocal ultrasound images.
However, when a multifocal ultrasound image is acquired, a frame rate of the ultrasound image provided by an ultrasound system may considerably decrease. Accordingly, in a medical treatment requiring real time ultrasound images, natural ultrasound images cannot be provided.
In addition, it is difficult to acquire natural ultrasound volume images of a fetus due to a low frame rate.
Thus, a technique of increasing the number of frames and frame rate is used by frame interpolation. In this regard, when frame interpolation is performed on a 2D image by using a motion vector, an occluded region that is hidden by motion or movement of the fetus may be generated. Although all tissues may be identified via a 3D image without causing an occluded region when volume interpolation is performed on 3D volume data by using a motion vector, an amount of calculation increases due to calculation of a motion vector of V*V*V from a volume of N*N*N.
Thus, there is a need to develop a method of performing frame interpolation by calculating a motion vector without causing an occluded region to reduce the amount of calculation.